town, Leningrad oblast (province), northwestern Russia, on the Gulf of Finland. Founded in 1710 by Prince Menshikov, it was a summer retreat of the Russian royal family. The palace of Peter I the Great (1714) and the Chinese Palace, designed by the Italian architect Antonio Rinaldi (1762-68), suffered grave damage in World War II but have been restored. Pop. (1991 est.) 42,000.